How a funeral and a 'stolen car' led constable Holden to a career as a cop

Then, just two days later, a mass shooting in Bondi resulted in one of the largest police operations in NSW history.

And, though the three new recruits to the Chifley Police District, probationary constables John Holden, Jasmine Vitagliano and Ashley Jones said it was a confronting way to start their new gig, they were proud to be joining the police force.

"It's a little bit daunting, obviously, walking in on your first day and seeing a major event, but they made us very aware that incidents like that can happen while we were doing our training, and we did specific training for it, so they prepared us as best as they can," Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones, who grew up in Bathurst, spent the last 15 years working in construction, before making the move to policing.

The reason for his decision was simply that he was after something different, and wanting to experience a bit of variety after being in the same job for nearly all of his adult life.

Now, he will be stationed as a police officer in Lithgow.

Probationary constable Jasmine Vitagliano's decision to join the force was quite similar.

She was struggling to progress in her role as a dental assistant, and was looking for a way to shake up her day-to-day.

"My job wasn't really going anywhere and I couldn't progress. It was the same thing every day, so I know there are a lot of different roles you can do in the cops, and many ways to help the community, so I thought I would give it a go," she said.

Now, the 28-year-old from Campbelltown will be stationed in Cowra.

But, for 37-year-old probationary constable John Holden, his reasons for becoming a police recruit were quite different.

For Mr Holden, his grandfather was his greatest inspiration.

"My grandfather was a police officer, so I guess it was in the back of my mind, but it was never at the forefront of things I wanted to do," he said.

"He retired in 88, the year I was born, so I never seen him as a police officer, but I always knew that that's what he done. I always had a lot of admiration for him, so that was a big part."

But it wasn't until his grandfather died, and his partner was victim of an alleged crime, that he finally decided it was time for a career change.

"It was my pops funeral a year ago now, and there was a bit of a police ceremony around the funeral, and I think the same week my partner's car got stolen, and we were just having some back and forth with the local police around that," he said.

"Then after about two or three weeks I thought, 'I could do that'.

"So, I just went down the rabbit hole, started doing some research, and within about a month I started the application."

Now, after years of working at Simplot, and spending time in the disability sector, he is looking forward to being in a career that could take him anywhere.

"I think I liked the idea about the diversity of roles within the one organisation," he said.

As for his first official day on the job, on Monday, December 15, he said his plan was to "get in, work hard" and see what doors open, all while learning from those around him.

"I'm just keen to soak it all in and learn from everybody," Mr Holden said.

Mr Holden will be stationed at Bathurst, the town where he grew up, and said that he was thankful for the "Be a Cop in Your Hometown" initiative, for allowing him to follow in the footsteps of his granddad.